What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

by Bruce D. Perry

remember that humans are emotionally “contagious”; we sense the distress of others.

This parent’s internal storm becomes the home’s storm. His chaos becomes the home’s chaos.

“That poor mother is doing the best she can. Let her give her daughter some candy. That is all she knows. You will not make her a better parent by punishing or shaming her. If we want her to be a more loving parent, we need to be more loving to her.”

When someone is dysregulated, they simply cannot use the smartest part of their brain.

I think this is a huge problem in our distracted society. We are not very good at truly being present.